The decision to tax sugary drinks in South Africa faces furious industry opposition, but global experience shows industry cannot be trusted to put public health before profits.

A can of regular soft drink contains 39 grams of total sugar, which is about 9 1/3 teaspoons of sugar and more than the recommended daily healthy limit for adults.
Flickr / Shardayyy and WHOOctober 12, 2016

Since Mexico introduced a 10% “tax” on sugar-sweetened beverages in 2014, global political momentum for this form of fiscal policy has been building. Societal interest and support have also grown. Taking…